Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
Kali (as Boro Maa) temple · Naihati, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India
Boro Maa ('Big Mother') is the name by which devotees in and around Naihati, a riverside town in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, know their towering image of the goddess Kali. What began a century ago as a household Kali Puja has grown into a Kali Puja that draws very large crowds, and since 2023 it has a permanent temple where the goddess is worshipped every day.
Every year a new clay image about 21 feet tall is made for Kali Puja, decorated with gold and silver ornaments offered by devotees over the decades, and finally drawn on a wheeled trolley to the Ganga for immersion. t2online reported in 2024 that more than eight lakh people visit during Kali Puja. Since the temple opened, a permanent stone image is worshipped there through the year.
Faith & Tradition
Religious Significance of Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
Devotees believe that Boro Maa does not turn away anyone who comes to her with a sincere prayer, and Sangbad Pratidin reported a local saying that, whatever one's own faith, Boro Maa belongs to everyone. Zee News Bengali reports that worship follows a Vaishnava-influenced tradition and that no animal sacrifice is offered; t2online links the absence of the usual jackal beside the goddess to the same Vaishnava influence.
The image is dark-complexioned with four arms and a crimson tongue edged in gold. As t2online describes it, the upper right hand is raised in blessing, the lower right holds a sweet (jolbhora sandesh) for prosperity, the upper left holds a weapon to destroy evil, and the lower left holds a severed head as a reminder of wrongdoing.
Boro Maa also sets the rhythm of Kali Puja in Naihati: according to Zee News Bengali and Wikipedia, the town's other Kali Puja images are immersed only after Boro Maa's procession. Besides Kali Puja, Wikipedia records that devotees gather in large numbers on other new-moon days such as Kaushiki and Baisakhi Amavasya.
Heritage
History of Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
The puja traces its origin to 1923. According to t2online, Sangbad Pratidin and Wikipedia, a young Naihati man named Bhavesh Chakraborty visited the Ras festival at Nabadwip, where he was struck by a very large image of Kali, and on his return he began a Kali Puja with a tall image of his own the following year. The goddess was at first called 'Boro Kali' or 'Bhavesh Kali', and for decades the puja was organised by the Chakraborty household. (Zee News Bengali names the founder as Bhavatosh Chakraborty and says he started the puja with five friends.)
As the puja's following grew it was opened to the public, and the image came to be called Boro Maa because of its height. t2online reports that the Chakraborty family handed the puja over to the people of Naihati in 2011. Wikipedia names the Naihati Barakali Puja Samity Trust as the governing body, and records that the puja committee does not collect subscriptions (chanda) from local residents but relies on devotees' donations. Since 2014 the Kali Puja image has been made by the local sculptor Shubhendu Sarkar.
To mark the puja's centenary in 2023, a new temple was built. According to Wikipedia and Sangbad Pratidin, a permanent image of the goddess in black touchstone (kasti pathar) was installed in its sanctum and consecrated on the Lakshmi Puja day, and she has since been worshipped daily; before this, the goddess was worshipped through the year as a picture. Wikipedia reports that the temple complex also includes shrines to Trinath (a three-headed form of Shiva), Shitala and Radha–Krishna.
Architecture and sacred features
Wikipedia classifies the temple in the Bengal style of architecture. The 2023 temple houses the permanent touchstone image in its sanctum, and Wikipedia reports that the project included a larger bhog (offering) hall and a guest house. Sangbad Pratidin notes that the temple was redecorated in a new design for the centenary.
Plan Your Visit
Darshan and Visitor Information
Crowds are extremely large during Kali Puja week and on major new-moon days, when a large police deployment manages the crowds; expect long waits and follow police and volunteer instructions. Dress modestly and keep valuables secure. The puja committee streams the rituals online and offers online offerings through an app, according to Wikipedia and Sangbad Pratidin. Confirm current darshan timings and festival arrangements with the Naihati Barakali Puja Samity before travelling.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with Naihati Barakali Puja Samity Trust (per Wikipedia) before travelling. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.
Sacred Calendar
Festivals at Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
Kali Puja
The main festival. Work on the 21-foot clay image starts on Kojagori Lakshmi Puja; the goddess is adorned with devotees' gold and silver ornaments and is immersed in the Ganga after five days, before the town's other Kali images.
Kaushiki Amavasya
One of the new-moon days on which, according to Wikipedia, devotees gather in large numbers at the temple.
Baisakhi Amavasya
Another new-moon day that Wikipedia records as drawing large crowds of devotees.
Location
How to Reach Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
Naihati is a town on the Ganga (Hooghly) in North 24 Parganas district; t2online puts it about 43 km from Kolkata. The temple is close to the river, which the Kali Puja procession reaches on foot.
Location: Naihati, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India
More in Hindu temples in West Bengal · Kali (as Boro Maa) temples · Temples in Barrackpore I community development Block · Temples in North 24 Parganas District
Questions
Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati: Frequently Asked Questions
Who started the Boro Maa Kali Puja in Naihati?
Bhavesh Chakraborty, a Naihati resident, began it in 1923 after seeing a giant Kali image at the Ras festival in Nabadwip. The puja was run by his family for decades.
How tall is the Boro Maa idol?
The clay image made each year for Kali Puja is about 21 feet tall, according to t2online and Sangbad Pratidin (Wikipedia gives about 22 feet).
Is there a permanent temple of Boro Maa?
Yes. A new temple opened in 2023 for the puja's centenary, with a permanent black touchstone image of the goddess that is worshipped daily.
Why is she called Boro Maa?
The goddess was first called Boro Kali or Bhavesh Kali; because of the image's great height, people came to call her Boro Maa, 'Big Mother'.
Is animal sacrifice offered at Boro Maa?
No. Zee News Bengali reports that worship follows a Vaishnava-influenced tradition and animal sacrifice is not practised.
When is the Boro Maa immersion?
The image is drawn on a wheeled trolley to the Ganga for immersion after Kali Puja, and Naihati's other Kali images are immersed only after Boro Maa.
Sources and attribution
- Wikipedia — Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati
- t2online (The Telegraph) — t2 made a trip to Naihati to chronicle a 21-feet Kali idol worshipped for 101 years
- Sangbad Pratidin — Kali Puja 2024: history of Naihati's Boro Maa (Bengali)
- Zee 24 Ghanta (Zee News Bengali) — Boro Maa Kali: 100 years of Naihati's most famous Kali (Bengali)
Further reading: Boro Maa Kali Temple, Naihati on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Write to info@hindutone.com — see our editorial policy.
